The three principles underpinning the circular economy, according to the Ellen Macarthur Foundation, are to design out waste and pollution, keep products and materials in use and regenerate natural systems. This concept constantly challenges companies and society in general to reuse products and materials and thereby help mitigate climate change and the regeneration of ecosystems.
Apply circular economy principles by reducing waste, prolonging the life of materials and regenerating natural systems, is the objective of the Sustainable by nature programme for the circular economy.
This objective, based on the strategic pillar Promote the environmental characteristics of cork oak products and forests, is aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, specifically with the SDGs: No. 8 - Decent work and economic growth; No. 12 - Responsible consumption and production.
The Programme defines qualitative targets for 2030, applicable to the entire sustainability perimeter:
Corticeira Amorim’s main raw material is cork. During the production process at Corticeira Amorim, 100% of the cork is used, even the smallest granules are used as an important source of energy.
Corticeira Amorim has therefore implemented an integrated production process that allows and promotes the reuse of all by-products associated with cork processing - “nothing is lost, everything is valued”, is one of the Company's main strategies and challenges, since 1963, to end up with waste or cork residues, thus optimizing the added value of all raw materials.
The cork valorisation strategy motivated the development of cork stopper recycling initiatives with strong adhesion on the five continents.
In addition to making full use of cork, Corticeira Amorim always chooses to use recycled materials from other industries, whenever this is feasible, and thereby saves natural resources on the planet and reduces the problems associated with their disposal.
Such management of the consumption of materials is only possible thanks to the characteristics of the raw material - cork, which can be 100% used and can foster synergies with other materials or by-products from other industries, thereby expanding the diversity of applications.
Corticeira Amorim’s approach to waste management is in line with the waste management hierarchy, namely prevention (reduction of waste generated), reuse, recycling, recovery and disposal. materials are carefully selected and pre-consumer waste is efficiently incorporated into the production process or sent to recycling.
Recycling of products at the end of their life-cycle
Corticeira Amorim’s circular economy approach is not limited to the production phase. To this end, it collaborates with programmes for the selective collection of cork stoppers for recycling, transforming them into granules for new products. This practice increases the useful life of materials and reduces dependence on virgin resources, promoting the closure of the life cycle of cork stopper production and the creation of a new flow of raw materials.
Corticeira Amorim receives cork stoppers and other end-of-life cork for treatment and grinding, in the industrial units licensed in Portugal for cork recycling. After being transformed into granules, the material is incorporated into ‘non-stopper’ products.
The Company’s strategy to enhance the value of cork has led to development of unprecedented initiatives for the selective collection of cork stoppers for recycling, with strong participation in several countries.
